Richard Dunn, Rob Hopson, John Rutter, Andy Mclevy, Stewart Sexton, Tom Cadwallander, Bob Biggs, Iain Robson
May 8 2008
We all met at Newcastle Airport at more or less the arranged time for the start of an epic trip to the other side of the globe and need less to say spirits were high. After a short hop we had four hours to kill at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, which seemed to pass by remarkably quickly then it’s the through the night flight to Beijing. This was not as bad as I expected but I was unable to sleep on the plane so I was in for a long tiring day ahead.
May 9 2008 Friday
Arrived on time at Beijing and once through immigration we were quickly through baggage collection and out into China and off birding. We were met at the airport by our host and guide for the next ten days, Jesper Hornskov. A Danish guy who met a girl and then married her while he was on a birding tour of Asia, and who now lives in Beijing. Jesper was to be excellent company and very knowledgeable of the birds that we were to see.
We traveled from Beijing to the Ibisbill site (40 38’ 01.80”N - 116 44’ 42.70”E) at the Bai He River north of Huairo in two mini buses, out through the outskirts of the city were the only birds seen were (Barn) Swallow’s then further up the road Azure-winged Magpie was seen flying over the road. A brief roadside stop and a White-cheeked Starling was seen on wires near some houses and a Large-billed Crow or two were flying over. We arrived at the site after a scary drive up into the hills, the Chinese driving standards are well below what we would expect back home, and on a personal note, I was in the front seat with a seat belt and nowhere to fasten the seatbelt to! Anyway we were quickly into our stride and the Ibisbill was soon seen, we took just ten minutes to find them, some Dutch birders had found them in about three minutes earlier in the week. While watching the Ibisbill (a count of four) a Long-billed Plover was found and then a Red-billed Blue Magpie came down to drink, on the same section of river. Other birds at this stop, Black Stork, Crested Kingfisher (stunning), Amur Wagtail, the leucopsis race of White Wagtail, another stunning bird, Godlewski’s Bunting, Songar Tit, a race of (or maybes a new species) Willow Tit and a very brief Yellow-rumped Flycatcher that was not seen by all. After an all too brief time here it was back into the buses and onwards to Beidaihe where we arrived late after a brief stop for motorway food Chinese style, staying overnight at the Beidaihe International Club Hotel. Having arrived late and most of us with no sleep since the morning of departure from Newcastle, the hope was that we would have a nice leisurely start to the day, alas it was not to be.
Ibisbill & leucopsis White Wagtail
May 10 2008 Saturday
04:30 start
Traveled for a short distance north to The Great Wall at Shanhaiguan (a small town, with at least one million inhabitants!!!) in three taxis (again I was in the front) with Guy & Jim, our two new friends from Luxembourg. On the journey a number of Black-crowned Night Herons were seen in flight and with them at least one Chinese Pond Heron and a Peregrine flying over carrying prey. After paying the modest entry fee we set off on an expedition up a mountain. Most of the folks at the wall with us were of retirement age and they were whizzing up the hill some of them backwards and shouting as loudly as possible to cleanse their souls? where as I was wondering if I could make it and even considering not going up. Well I went and it wasn’t as bad as I imagined and the birds were good too. Père David’s Laughingthrush, White-browed Chinese Warbler, Godlewski’s and Meadow Bunting. Also on the hill we saw wild Common Pheasant, not some birds that had been bred to be shot. It was all up hill till a chair lift station where we had a breather and watched from there, seeing at least four migrant Hobby, six Japanese Sparrowhawk and nine Grey-faced Buzzard. We carried on up the hill to a temple and then it was back downhill all the way back to the chair lift and the easy way down, which was a little bit hairy when you pass over some of the drops. Back at the bottom a garden area was birded through, seeing Oriental (Grey-capped) Greenfinch, Red-billed Blue Magpie and our first Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbul.
From here it was then back to the hotel and some very nice Chinese style lunch. But first we had to find a supermarket and buy some odds and sods of food to have in between meals on the island. This proved very challenging as after all we were in China so everything was in Chinese until the aisle with the crisps and the kit-kats and the coke was found, these brands look the same and taste the same the world over so no trouble there. However this particular shop had two entrances so it also had two exits, Tom and Bob chose to pay at the wrong exit and head out of the shop the wrong way, they did look a bit sheepish as they were escorted back through the shop by an assistant who was speaking loudly, so all could hear, probably saying “look at these two, managed to get lost in a shop”
After lunch we crossed over the road to the sand flats and the first birds I noted were three Terek Sandpiper and then shout went up, “Relict Gull” with three at the waters edge and unbelievably with them was a Saunders’s Gull. Another scan and two fantastic Caspian Terns showed nicely. After enjoying the water birds we headed into an area of woods via a small patch of reeds, out of which came an Ochre-rumped and a Chestnut-eared Bunting. In the woods a small passerine was unintentionally flushed a couple of times until it perched low in a tree and the ID was clinched; female Siberian Rubythroat, one of my most wanted species, although this was not the most wanted male. Coming back through the woods a bird flew up in front of me and I quickly clapped the bins on it and although I knew what it was the name escaped me so I just blurted out the first thing that came into my head “Japanese Hawfinch”, the look of puzzlement on the faces of the lads was nearly as funny as my cock-up, the bird was a Japanese Grosbeak. In this same patch of trees a small flock of seven Brown Shrike and a couple of Siberian Stonechat. Back across the road and just up from the hotel are (were) some fresh water pools (which were in the process of being filled in) and the reservoir, this was where we headed to finish off the day. On the pools a drake Common Pochard was the only one of the trip, but the stars were the waders, Common, Green, Wood, Curlew and Marsh Sandpiper and six Long-toed Stint which I managed to photograph. Also hear more Chinese Pond Heron and an Amur Falcon. Again we stayed overnight at the Beidaihe International Club Hotel and again I hoped for a chance to get out early this time for more chances of pictures, but the plan involved another early start.
Relict & Saunder’s Gull
May 11 2008 Sunday
04:30 start
Another dawn start, and as we set off we had to head into the center of Beidaihe to collect Jesper from his flat in town. We were traveling by taxi (4 cars) to the legendry Magic Wood, on route going through a flat featureless landscape with no birds to be seen. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at an area of shrimp ponds and rice paddies and at last here there were birds, migrating terns, White-winged Black, Whiskered and Gull-billed and an Eastern Cattle Egret. It was then just a short drive up a dirt track to Magic Wood. Here we go, out of the cars and the trees are dripping Yellow-browed Warblers, they are everywhere, then into the wood proper, which isn’t much really, a few scattered trees, some small plantations and a couple of thicker areas. Initially it was all very frustrating as birds were being seen by all and sundry but not by me, and then a White’s Thrush gave us a bit of a run around until it sat out in the open and then it all seemed to happen at once. First off it was now raining a bit hard, then Rob flushed a small bird which he was tracking down when a female Siberian Thrush was found but I played it cool and followed Rob’s bird which was running mouse like through the grass, this proved to be a male Siberian Rubythroat, which even sat still enough for me to get some pictures. After that the Siberian Thrush was photographed and a Black-naped Oriole was seen. A small bush at the back of the wood had a Pallas’s Warbler on every other branch and every branch that didn’t have Pallas’s on it had a Yellow-browed Warbler, a bare tree nearby had five Eyebrowed Thrush, in the thicker parts there was Radde’s and Pale-legged Leaf Warblers, the White’s Thrush again as well as Asian Brown Flycatcher. By now the rain had increased to torrential so we quit the wood and then headed to a small fishing port where we to take the boat to Happy Island. Not just any boat, an open boat, all our luggage went into the only covered area and we were out in the rain. Soaked through upon arrival we were met by the electric buggies that transport you only on arrival and departure, and we were transported to our shack, the accommodation for the duration. After a change into some dry clothes and a chance to warm up we went back out into the rain and got soaked again. In the temple woods I encountered some of the other birders that were already on the island, one of whom said to me “are you on with WildWings?”, “No” I replied “we’ve just come on, we’re with Jesper”, the silence was stunning until he said ”Jesper’s on the Island?”. I was no longer just a pleb, I was a pleb who was on the island with Jesper. The chappie who had asked the questions than rushed off to tell his buddies the information. Walking around and through the wood and just getting our bearings, but birding as we went. The bird of the day Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo was sat out in an open area in the wood, seemingly just in, looking tired and sheltering from the rain Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers were so common that they were more or less ignored, Pallas’s Warbler were all over, Eastern Marsh Harrier was new, a male initially giving views that made us think Pied Harrier, but we soon figured that out. We became familiar with the “squeaky bike”, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler (the call sounds like an un-oiled bike), Eastern Crowned and Radde’s Warbler were also seen. An Oriental Scops Owl was found sitting in a small bush, 25+ Siberian Stonechat, in the woods, Mugimaki and Taiga Flycatcher were nice but they paled into insignificance when a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher was seen. A flock of 25 Japanese Grosbeak (“Hawfinch”) were nice as was the single Chinese Grosbeak that was seen later. All in all it was an excellent afternoons birding, even though yet again we were soaked through.
By now it was time for the evening meal, a buffet style Chinese meal, which was served from 19:00 every night, this was in the restaurant which is about a half mile walk back up the island from the shack and its even further from the wood, so for breakfast at 09:00 and lunch at 13:00 you have to walk for your bait.
White’s Thrush & Siberian Rubythroat
May 12 2008 Monday
05:45 start
Still raining this morning but not as hard as during the night when the rain was very heavy. Birded the temple woods all morning till breakfast at 09:00 then back out around the woods till lunch. After lunch it started raining again so we sheltered at the front of the temple on the verandah of the new toilet block with some of the WildWings group then later after the rain relented we headed for the bund bank that surrounds the island and to look out onto the mudflats for waders. On the way back it started to rain again and it was a hard slog back into a headwind against the wind and rain all the way back.
Early morning and we’re just standing by a path in the woods when one of the ringers, who have a temporary ringing station set up and the back of Temple Woods, walks up and shows the White’s Thrush that has been caught. They are not allowed to actually ring the birds, so the measurements are taken and the birds are marked with Tippex on the tips of their tails and then released, the Tippex helps identify birds that have already been trapped. Today the walkie-talkies come out of the bag, one for me and the other to Rob and within no time the lads get a good bird because of the set up. We had split up in the woods and later I found them in front of the temple and they had just had two Grey-sided Thrush behind the temple so Bob and I go round the back and see the thrushes but we also find a White-throated Rock Thrush which was mobbing an Oriental Scops Owl and when I tell them via the radio they came rushing back round the temple and they also see the thrush.
After breakfast, as we leave the restaurant, Little Terns are fishing at the lake and with them is a Common Tern of the race longipennis with an all black bill. Walking back towards the woods through the bushes around the shack I glance up and see the shape of a swift overhead, I then see the white horse shoe shaped band of the under-tail and even though I shout “Needletail” and all hell breaks loose as every body runs to the more open main path, nobody else sees the bird. Back in the woods its more of the same as before breakfast but its stopped raining. More of the same is; Rufous Turtle Dove, Oriental and Common Cuckoo, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Olive-backed Pipit, Dusky and Eyebrowed Thrush, Chinese Blackbird mandarinus, Asian Brown, Taiga, Mugimaki and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Black-browed Reed, Dusky, Radde’s, Pallas’s, Yellow-browed, Two-barred Greenish, Pale-legged Leaf and Claudia’s Warbler, (Claudia’s Warbler is the claudiae race of Blyth’s Leaf Warbler).
After lunch it starts raining again so we’re sheltered at the front of the temple with some of the WildWings group when I glance off to my left and see the shape of a swift, this time the bins are on it quickly and so is everybody else as I shout “Needletail”, three are passing north and one of them breaks from the other two and it proceeds to do two passes and a low level fly past in front of all the birders gathered at the front of the temple, after going out of sight the bird gets a round of applause, at this I am totally amazed. For what ever reason a small overgrown patch of weed in front of the temple was attractive to buntings, Tristram’s, Little, Yellow-browed, Chestnut and Black-faced all in there.
The rain relents and almost stops so the decision is made to head for the bund bank and look for waders. Definitely a good move, one of the first birds seen over the mud flats is a migrating ring-tail Pied Harrier and then a little further on a single (and our only) Oriental Pratincole flies over. On the flats the waders are distant but not too far off that they cant be identified, we see; Saunders’s Gull, Lesser Sandplover, Asian Dowitcher, Far Eastern Curlew and Great Knot as well as lots of waders that wouldn’t look out of place back home. Heading back along the bank its into the wind and the rain which has started again so it’s a bit of a trudge until word comes back down the line, Siberian Blue Robin, male, out in the open and running around on a small patch of sand. It certainly makes the walk back this way worthwhile.
We’re back in the shack after the evening meal when Bob starts rummaging around and then through his bags and then confesses that he thinks he has left his bumbag on the chair in the restaurant and he’s in a bit of a flap as his passport and money are in it. After a bit of persuading we walk back to the restaurant, and the bag is safely retrieved from the girls at the restaurant who had found it and locked it away to return in the morning.
White-throated Needletail & Siberian Blue Robin
May 13 2008 Tuesday
05:30 start
We set off to meet in front of the temple to look for a singing Japanese Swamp Warbler (which I just failed to see as it dropped into the reeds never to be seen again) and then out past the little west wood and to the bund bank to look for waders. Although it had stopped raining the ground was still wet and very soon the feet were soaked again and the mud stuck thickly to the footwear. On the way out a snipe was flushed and by call this was a Common Snipe, which gave us all three, previously we had seen “Pinhoes” & “Swintail” snipes until our very helpful expert Danish guide called firstly a Pintail Snipe and then a Swinhoe’s Snipe, ideally it would have been nice to see them all on the ground and compare, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen. One sounded different to the other which to my eye looked different to Common! Out on the flats the waders showed nicely, we saw; Oystercatcher of the eastern race osculans Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Pacific Golden Plover, Lesser Sandplover, Asian Dowitcher, Terek Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Also out here was a Relict Gull and three Saunders Gulls. A small group of Pacific Swifts passed by close over head allowing a good look at a couple as they went by.
After breakfast as we head back from the restaurant we have another White-throated Needletail, its my bird of the trip! After this its back to the woods with no real change in the birds present apart from there were lesser numbers, that’s not to say it was poor, Dusky, Radde’s, Pallas’s, Yellow-browed, Two-barred Greenish, Pale-legged Leaf and Claudia’s Warbler, all of these were there to be seen. Then just before lunch we get a tip off that a Blue and White Flycatcher has been found and as we try to find this it becomes apparent that an arrival on flycatchers has occurred with Siberian, Sooty, Grey-streaked and Mugimaki also being found. Later some of us managed to dip out on a male Siberian Thrush that had showed rather well. In the restaurant we heard of another flycatcher, an Elisae's Flycatcher, a race of Narcissus Flycatcher had been seen right next to our shack, it was after dark when we heard about it!
One thing that I did know of the Chinese was that they have a disgusting habit of spitting, that’s fine by me, as long as its not at me. However I had to say something when one of the local youth’s was making a habit of doing it in the restaurant. I mentioned it to Jesper who said he had not seen it happen but would say something if he did see it, and then right on queue the boy did again. Jesper raced across the crowded restaurant and had loud words with the lad and I assumed that, that would be the end of it. The youth walked passed to go into the back and spat on the floor again just behind Jesper. This was like a red rag to a bull, Jesper was off and after him and into the back room where raised voices were now coming from. When he came back Jesper was followed out by a much bigger guy and for a short time it seemed like blows would be exchanged, however one of the girls, who we came to call Mrs. Sun calmed the situation and we never saw that kid in the restaurant again.
Today there was a massive earthquake in China, news had broken back home, but we knew absolutely nothing about it until we started to get texts from folks back home. Sadly there were many thousands killed due to the earthquakes effects but it didn't affect us at all as it was in the next province which was at least a two hour flight away.
Dark-sided Flycatcher
May 14 2008 Wednesday
Very early start as Rob who had gone out even earlier got on the walkie talkie to say that the male Siberian Thrush was still present so after a quick leap out of bed and a dash down the road we were at the site. Sadly again there was no sign of the bird, and this wasn’t down to the fact that I hadn’t got on my specs or put in my contact lenses, the bird did not show. So anyway I’m up and the rest of the boys are up and out and about so its just more of the same seeing much the same as we have been. Back at the shack we catch up with the Elisae's Flycatcher which shows very well and while looking for this Stewart found a male Siberian Thrush. I wont repeat here the expletives that he uttered but they made me blush! (not). The thrush flew out of the bushes into the tree that was directly in front of me and yet I could not see it until it flew again, I had been looking too low by about three foot, so near and yet so far. On the way back from breakfast an Oriental Honey Buzzard passed north over the island. The boys are in the shack as I wander out the door and into the back of a group of American / Canadian birders who have a Daurian Starling which I see well but its gone by the time I manage to get the lads back out of the shack. From the shack we head out onto the bund to twitch the Chinese Egret that had been seen earlier. The egret was found easily at its chosen spot, distant and not much of a looker, it’s a world rarity so well worth the effort we made to go and find it. Out on the flats waders seen include Red-necked Stint and Lesser Sandplover and another Saunders’s Gull. On the way back we go through the woods again and the only new birds of note today are a female Red Flanked Bluetail that was very showy and a Yellow-bellied Tit, which looks strangely familiar, a bit like a Coal Tit with a touch of Great Tit, a nice bird. While in the woods a calling Oriental Scops Owl could be heard, this was tracked down to a very small bush and the bird could be seen quite well. Still here are all the warblers and flycatchers from earlier in the week and then someone mentions that there has been a Grey Nightjar showing very well and in fact he’s just come from the spot and its still there, well it wasn’t. But another birder had seen it just up the path from here, its not there either and then there are three blasts of the whistle; one blast = I’m (Jesper) here, two blasts = good bird, come see, three blasts = come see this and quick, Jesper had found the nightjar and it was showing very well. While on the subject of three blasts = come see this and quick, Tom did just that, in a straight line, bushes meant nothing, Tom just ran straight through them, a man on a mission, he did warn us at the airport “don’t get between me and a new bird, you might get trampled”, I see what he means. At the big pool Common and Little Terns are fishing just at the path edge and are good value and I was so busy watching them that I didn’t see the Striated Heron until it flushed, a good view in flight however.
Oriental Scop’s Owl & Grey Nightjar
May 15 2008 Thursday
Another early start for the boys today as they were all going to spend a couple of hours at the ringing area, but I was a bit tardy and didn't get out till 05:30! After a slow walk through the woods I arrived at the ringing area and as I passed two nets I saw that in one there was a male Siberian Blue Robin and that in the other was another male Siberian Blue Robin and a male Siberian Rubythroat. The first bird seen in the hand was a Lanceolated Warbler (the only one we had) which Stewart released low in the grass. It ran a short way and then the bird took flight and flew along the line of a fence, it hadn’t gone far when it got caught in flight by a Brown Shrike that swooped in like a flycatcher, with another Brown Shrike flying over to join in the feast. The “OH NO” that came from the watching crowd was probably the last thing the Lanceolated Warbler heard! While here another bird brought in, in a bag was a Thick-billed Warbler so we all hung around to have a good look at this monster of a warbler. Walking away from the ringing area through the field with all the flycatchers, I walked towards a photographer with the same rig as me and looking past him could see that he was photographing a Grey Nightjar sat on a fence post. This was possibly the bird that the ringers had caught early this morning before I arrived, in fact probably before I got out of bed. However it was not very obliging as it flew off and out of sight. Today’s number is; 170, that was the number of Brown Shrikes that were counted on the island, we didn’t see that many but there were a lot around today, these were counted by some Dutch / Finnish / Swedish birders (delete two from three, I’m not sure which nationality did the count, but it wasn’t British, I am sure of that).
After hearing of others having Dollarbird yesterday, I managed to connect today, seeing a couple, one either end of the day which could have been the same bird
Later, just before lunch I find another Thick-billed Warbler, which was singing, behind the temple. After Lunch the boys headed off with Jesper to explore the north of the island while I decided that I would head back around the bund and try to photograph some of the waders. I failed to get any pictures at all so a poor choice from me, so I headed back across to the woods, on the way flushing a Spot-billed Duck from her nest. Back in the woods I sat quietly with the Red-flanked Bluetail just taking shot after shot, most of which look the same as the shot before. Just up the track from the Bluetail I was just standing quietly in the woods, and a thrush whizzed past me very close and landed in the tree next to the one I was leaning on and then saw me and took off straight away, as it went I saw that it had a black and white striped under-wing, a female Siberian Thrush, it had been all over the wood today but very hard to observe. In the late afternoon the American group found a Rufous-tailed Robin in one of the ditches and for a short time allowed reasonable views before it skulked off never to be seen again.
Lanceolated Warbler & Brown Shrike
May 16 2008 Friday
Another early start but not before a coffee in the shack. Afterwards we headed for the West wood only to walk into thick fog which enveloped all leaving visibility very poor. As it was a lot of the migrants appeared to have cleared out overnight. While standing strategically between the west wood and Temple woods we could see a little way and some visible migration was happening with three Black-naped Orioles and a Rufous-bellied Woodpecker flying past. After breakfast we arrived back at the shack with a plan but I lay down on my bed and fell asleep and was there for at least two & a half hours which almost made it lunch time so I just chilled till the allotted hour and then went for lunch with the boys who in the mean time had seen very little. After lunch a long walk around the eastern most bund bank of the island. The waders seen being more or less the same although we had a single Greater Sandplover, which was new for the trip. Into the woods and news that a Forest Wagtail had been seen. After a mass search the bird was found no where near where it was last seen , this I nearly missed as I had been off tracking down some thrushes which proved to be Eyebrowed Thrush and coming back to the main wood and finding it deserted, nobody about, and then hearing (just) 3 blasts of a whistle, three blasts = come see this and quick. I ran, I jest not, I ran through the wood and arrived totally knackered to the news that it had showed just moments ago. A few minutes passed and I had that sinking feeling you get when you know a dip is coming, when I watched a wagtail walk over a small bank into and then just as quickly out of sight. I had seen enough, I had seen its breast and I was happy that I had seen a Forest Wagtail. Later, Bob, who had already been suffering from a bad back, hobbled back to the shack with a back spasm after inadvertently tripping on a small sapling that had been cut off about six inches from the ground, poor guy, he was in agony. At the restaurant Guy & Jim, our two friends from Luxembourg produced some Schnapps and homemade wine to celebrate our departure! So we got p****d with them on the fantastic parting gift.
Black-naped Oriole & Rufous-bellied Woodpecker
May 17 2008 Saturday
Early out again today although not too early as last nights alcohol was having its way! And because I was feeling the strain of carrying it all week, I left the camera in the shack, not a good move, I could have had some excellent pictures this morning. Again we strategically placed ourselves between the two woods and watched the visible migration, Richard’s Pipit being noticeable today with 15 over. A walk through the temple woods eventually produced fantastic views of one of two Forest Wagtails, this one showed exceptionally well as it walked down a path just in front of us, acting as a guide and leading us through the wood. A little later it became apparent that there had been a small arrival as most of the group caught up with a fine male Taiga Flycatcher, which I never managed to get pictures of and a Siberian Blue Robin that had not been around earlier. And then after lunch it was time to be off the island, so we said our farewells to all who would listen and away we went. Not much of note on the return leg of the ferry journey apart from the fishing boat that had ran aground and was in the process of being towed off the sandbank when the tow rope snapped, luckily nobody was hurt as the rope whip-lashed around. Back on the mainland and we head back taking in Magic Wood where all is quiet apart from two Black Drongo which were new for me and a single Daurian Starling which was new for the boys but not much else here so we moved on and went to the Big Wood. Here Bob’s back went into spasm again and things are looking bleak for him on the flight home, but for a secret weapon in the form of industrial strength pain killers, supplied by our friends from Luxembourg. At the wood there is a large heronry with Black-crowned Night and Chinese Pond Heron, Little and Cattle Egret’s. A bird on a distant wire was scoped and the it proved to be a Spotted Dove but otherwise it was very quiet so we just climbed back into the taxis and headed back to Beidaihe. A short walk up the road to the pools and a quick look and then back to the hotel as the skies were very dark and it looked as if the rain was going to pour, in the end it didn't. Overnight at the Beidaihe International Club Hotel
Happy Island Temple & Beidaihe International Club Hotel
May 18 2008 Sunday
Up early and a short taxi ride to the top end of the reservoir area at Beidaihe produced very little with no crake's or bittern's seen although we did have a 2nd calendar year male Pied Harrier zoom through. We walked back down the reservoir, where a pair of Amur Falcons were nesting and onto the sand flats where there was a Great Knot (with a crippled leg), Lesser Sand plover, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Pacific Golden Plover and on the way back a Japanese Quail was seen trying to hide out in the open on the sands. From here we went to the Yang Estuary at Nandaihe where we saw the objective of the search; Grey-tailed Tattler. Having seen this bird I wished I had gone for the bird in Scotland a few years back, as I was impressed with it. Here we had to walk through a construction yard for a new bridge and the site toilet which was a few moveable sheets of corrugated iron so when the toilet was moved the excrement was just left for anyone to step in! Then its back into the taxis and back to Beijing (on the way a bit of excitement as the taxi in front of us got a puncture and our driver knew what we were on about (how did he know, did he speak English and didn’t let on?) and we had an enforced stop on the hard shoulder of the motorway) where we stayed overnight at the Hotel Oye Inn, very nice, clean and the showers were fantastic with an even nicer meal at a local restaurant hosted by Jesper who had bought some local fire water with which we toasted birds and people and China in general. And then after feeding and drinking and generally being p****d we then had to make it back to our hotel by ourselves!!! We did it and then went straight into the hotel shop and got some more beer…
Amur Falcon & Great Knot
May 19 2008 Monday
Last night, we made the decision that today we would get up early and go to the Beijing Botanical Gardens (these were closer to our hotel than The Summer Palace, and the birds would be better). So at 5am seven bleary eyed birders climbed into the minibus for the short drive. Note seven bleary eyed birders, not eight, IPIN aka Iain Robson had decreed that he wanted to have a wander in Beijing and didn’t wish to go birding. We arrived in good time and had to wait till the gardens opened which gave Bob a chance to see Azure-winged Magpie, these were flying back and forth over the road at the entrance to the car park, about 100 seen in total. Whatever the weather conditions had been during the week, today they had changed, the block that had been on the migrants had been lifted and migration was now in full swing. The gardens seemed to be alive with Arctic and Two-barred Greenish Warblers, eight Black Drongo passed north overhead, at least 60 Oriental Honey Buzzard passed along a high ridge, a large flock of Common Swift was seen. The best bird of the morning was a tie; Indian Cuckoo and Chinese Nuthatch (Snowy-browed Nuthatch). The nuthatch came first doing typical nuthatch things on a large tree it showed nicely, however the cuckoo, we could hear it, we were standing beneath the tree which it was calling from, but we could not see it. And then as if by magic it appeared at the top of its chosen tree, called a few times and then it was gone. In the gardens other birds seen; Amur Falcon, four Spotted Dove (this time not distant), six Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, a flyover Forest Wagtail, three Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, a couple of Vinous-throated Parrotbill, a pair of Crested Myna at a nest and a pair of Chinese Grosbeak collecting nest material. Jesper heard Chinese Grosbeak calling, so Bob who had missed them on the island went off in search with Jesper, we on the other hand walked a short way along the path, in the opposite direction, and saw two on the ground with each with a beak full of grass, by the time Bob arrived they had gone and we were out of time, we had to go. Bob had dipped. Back at the hotel we collected our bags and Iain said our farewells to Jesper and went to the airport in the minibus and that was it the trip was over.
Species Seen
New Birds *
Little Grebe poggei
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret
Chinese Egret *
Cattle Egret
Chinese Pond Heron *
Striated Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black Stork
Common Shelduck
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck *
Northern Pintail
Garganey
Common Pochard
Osprey
Crested Honey Buzzard *
Eastern Marsh Harrier *
Pied Harrier *
Japanese Sparrowhawk *
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Grey-faced Buzzard *
Common Kestrel
Amur Falcon *
Eurasian Hobby
Peregrine Falcon
Japanese Quail *
Common Pheasant
Common Moorhen
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Ibisbill *
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Oriental Pratincole
Pacific Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Long-billed Plover *
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Lesser Sand Plover *
Greater Sand Plover
Pin-tailed Snipe *
Swinhoe's Snipe *
Common Snipe
Asian Dowitcher *
Bar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Eurasian Curlew
Far Eastern Curlew *
Common Redshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler *
Ruddy Turnstone
Great Knot *
Red Knot
Sanderling
Red-necked Stint
Long-toed Stint *
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper *
Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Black-tailed Gull *
Black-headed Gull
Saunders's Gull *
Relict Gull *
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Tern longipennis*
Little Tern
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Black Tern
Oriental Turtle Dove *
Eurasian Collared Dove
Spotted Dove *
Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo *
Indian Cuckoo *
Common Cuckoo
Oriental Cuckoo *
Oriental Scops Owl *
Grey Nightjar *
White-throated Needletail *
Common Swift
Pacific Swift *
Common Kingfisher
Crested Kingfisher *
Dollarbird
Hoopoe
Grey-capped Woodpecker *
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker *
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Richard's Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit *
Forest Wagtail *
White Wagtail leucopsis *
White Wagtail ocularis *
Grey Wagtail
Ashy Minivet *
Light-vented Bulbul *
Dusky Thrush *
Common Blackbird
Eyebrowed Thrush *
Grey-sided Thrush *
Siberian Thrush *
White’s Thrush *
White-throated Rock Thrush *
Blue Rock Thrush philipinensis*
Rufous-tailed Robin *
Siberian Blue Robin *
Bluethroat
Siberian Rubythroat *
Red-flanked Bluetail
Daurian Redstart *
Siberian Stonechat
Grey-streaked Flycatcher *
Dark-sided Flycatcher *
Asian Brown Flycatcher *
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher *
Green-backed Flycatcher *
Mugimaki Flycatcher *
Red-throated Flycatcher *
Blue-and-white Flycatcher *
White-browed Chinese Warbler *
Lanceolated Warbler *
Black-browed Reed Warbler *
Manchurian Reed Warbler *
Oriental Reed Warbler *
Thick-billed Warbler *
Dusky Warbler
Radde's Warbler
Pallas's Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Arctic Warbler
Two-barred Greenish Warbler *
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler *
Eastern Crowned Warbler *
Blyth's Leaf Warbler claudiae *
Père David's Laughingthrush *
Vinous-throated Parrotbill *
Marsh Tit
Willow "Songar" Tit *
Yellow-bellied Tit *
Great Tit
Snowy-browed Nuthatch *
Chestnut-flanked White-eye
Black-naped Oriole *
Brown Shrike *
Black Drongo *
Azure-winged Magpie
Red-billed Blue Magpie *
Eurasian Magpie
Carrion Crow
Large-billed Crow *
Crested Myna *
Daurian Starling *
White-cheeked Starling *
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Common Rosefinch
Oriental Greenfinch *
Hawfinch
Yellow-billed Grosbeak *
Japanese Grosbeak *
Godlewski's Bunting *
Meadow Bunting *
Ochre-rumped Bunting *
Tristram's Bunting *
Chestnut-eared Bunting *
Little Bunting
Yellow-browed Bunting *
Yellow-throated Bunting *
Yellow-breasted Bunting *
Chestnut Bunting *
Black-faced Bunting
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